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CNN International: Tanker And Cargo Vessel Collide Off UK's East Coast; Trump: Expects "Very Big Things" To Come From Ukraine Talks; Congress Faces Friday Deadline To Fund The U.S. Government. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired March 10, 2025 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, HOST, "ONE WORLD": U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on his way to meet Ukrainian top officials in Saudi Arabia.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, HOST, "ONE WORLD": One World starts right now. A critical week of Ukraine peace talks about to kick off in Jeddah. We'll look at what
it all means for bringing an end to Russia's war on Ukraine.
ASHER: Plus, an oil tanker and a cargo vessel collide in the North Sea off of England's northeastern coast. We have new video showing this fiery
scene.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, Canada chooses a new leader who will replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister, and he is making clear that he is ready for a
fight when it comes to Donald Trump.
All right. Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher. You are watching One World.
We are following breaking news off of England's East Coast. Britain's Coast Guard says an oil tanker and a cargo vessel have collided in the North Sea,
causing a huge fire.
GOLODRYGA: You're looking at video from social media that has not been verified by CNN. Helicopters and life boats have been dispatched to the
scene. The U.S. flagged tanker was reportedly anchored outside the port of Hull when the collision happened.
Anna Stewart joins us now from London with the details. Anna, what more are we learning about how this happened and any casualties involved?
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, at this stage, we know that 32 people have been brought to shore, and the latest information we have from the oil
tanker, the Stena Immaculate, is that all crew of the oil tanker are accounted for and safe. So, that's the good news. We don't yet know much
about the cargo vessel and the people that were on board that. The RNLI, which is the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, which has been working in
tandem with the UK Coast Guard, they sent some life boats, they said that there were a number of people that had abandoned the vessels following the
collision, and the fire, you can see huge plumes of smoke coming out of the oil tanker there.
And currently, this is what we kind of know and what we can glean from some of the marine tracking websites that there are. Stena Immaculate is this
huge oil tanker. It's U.S.-flagged. It weighs nearly 30,000 tons, and it supplies fuel to the U.S. military. Now -- it's now been made clear that
this was jet fuel that was on board. This boat was anchored off the coast of Hull. It had traveled there from Greece. This is the one where we know
that all the crew are safe and accounted for. The other vessel is the cargo vessel. This one is called Solong. It's a Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel.
It was traveling from Scotland en route to the Netherlands. It was a bit smaller still, 7,800 tons or so, and this is the other vessel involved.
What we clearly don't know at this stage is how this collision happened, given all the technology on board, radar, plenty of checks and balances and
safety operations. Clearly, something went extremely wrong at this stage. Accounting for all the people, search and rescue is, of course, priority
number one, and of course, thinking also, I suppose, about the oil spill at this stage as well.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Anna Stewart, please keep us posted. Thank you so much. And of course, we'll continue to monitor this story as it develops.
ASHER: All right. U.S. Secretary State Marco Rubio is expected to arrive in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this hour to kick start talks with Ukrainian
officials aimed at ending the war.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. It comes at a critical time as well, after Washington suspended military aid and scaled back intelligence sharing with Kyiv, and
as Ukraine is losing ground on the battlefield and perhaps at the negotiating table, as its troops are being pushed out of Russia's Kursk
region. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister says that he expects a constructive conversation with the U.S. on Tuesday, with, quote, "mutually beneficial
results".
ASHER: President Donald Trump, meantime, is predicting that very big things will happen. But, on Sunday, he reiterated his claim that Kyiv hasn't yet
shown a desire for peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Let's see what happens with the whole Russia-Ukraine thing. I think you're going to have
eventually, and maybe not in the distant future, you're going to have some pretty good results coming out of Saudi Arabia this week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you going to resume aid to Ukraine if they sign the minerals deal?
TRUMP: Well, I think they will sign the minerals deal, but we want them to -- I want them to want peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also due to arrive in Saudi Arabia today. He is set to meet with the country's Crown Prince, but
he is not expected to be at these talks.
CNN's Alex Marquardt joins us live now from Jeddah. So, Alex, just start by explaining to us what Zelenskyy's goal is here, because he is not at the
table when it comes to the actual peace talks between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, but he is still going to Saudi Arabia, and he is meeting with
the Crown Prince. Explain to us his goal and his strategy in terms of what's going to come out of the meeting with MBS and perhaps the peace
talks that he is not included in.
[11:05:00]
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, it's really two goals, I think, because you can't look at it in terms of what he
hopes to accomplish bilateral with this -- bilaterally with the Saudis, the Saudis, of course, being a key player. So, Zelenskyy and the Crown Prince
will be speaking about things like the economy, energy, infrastructure, trade.
But, of course, the war in Ukraine looms large, and increasingly, the Crown Prince is a key interlocutor. He is a key mediator. We have now two rounds
of talks, first with the U.S. and the Russians three weeks ago in Riyadh, and now with the U.S. and Ukrainians tomorrow here in Jeddah. They're
taking place in Saudi Arabia that the Saudis are literally at the table. The Crown Prince is going to be playing a key role here. He can pressure
the Russians when it comes to getting them to agree to certain things. He can certainly help Zelenskyy repair his ties with the United States, and I
think Zain and Bianna, that is the second part of this, is essentially the U.S. and Ukraine trying to get their relationship back on track after that
disastrous meeting in the Oval Office two weeks ago.
Everything we are hearing from both Ukrainian and the U.S. side is rather positive. We also heard from the U.S. Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff,
just a couple hours ago, saying that they do expect to make significant progress here in Jeddah. What that means, though, in concrete terms, we
don't exactly know. Of course, there has been a fair bit of criticism from the U.S. side against the Ukrainians that the Ukrainians have not shown
that they are ready to strike a peace deal with Russia.
But, on the way to Jeddah, a senior State Department official who is traveling with Secretary Rubio due to land any moment now, as you said,
said that it does appear that Ukraine is ready to really get -- move forward -- move these discussions forward, and that is shown by the fact
that they have sent this senior level delegation. So, what will that -- what will they be talking about? Certainly that halt, that pause on
military and intelligence assistance. We heard the President saying just yesterday that he does expect that intelligence sharing to start back up
again. That minerals deal that was supposed to be signed in Washington two weeks ago, that never got signed. So, maybe they will come to an agreement
when that will happen.
Of course, Ukraine has been demanding or asking for U.S. security guarantees. Peacekeepers have been ruled out by the Trump administration.
What could that backstop, as is being called, look like? And then, of course, sort of longer term, the relationship, how that can unfold to make
sure that it's on solid footing going forward. This is really something to -- a meeting to get those pieces and those people back together. But, in
terms of deliverables, we still have to wait and see what will come out of this meeting tomorrow. Zain, Bianna.
ASHER: All right. Alexander Marquardt live for us in Jeddah. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: U.S. Democratic Congressman John Garamendi is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and he joins us now live in Washington
with more. Congressman, thank you so much for joining this show.
So, after that disastrous, chaotic Oval Office meeting between President Trump and President Zelenskyy a little over a week ago, you issued a
statement, and here is what you said, "I have worked with every President since President Jimmy Carter. I have never had any President so
disgracefully abandon an ally and take the enemy's side. It's disgraceful and creates an extraordinarily dangerous situation in Europe." So, is that
what you see happening? Do you believe that President Trump is taking Vladimir Putin's side here?
REP. JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA): There is no doubt about it. You consider all the things that have happened over the last month and a half that Trump has
been in office, yes, most definitely. You can begin with the United Nations resolutions in which the United States sided with Russia, refused to
acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine, not only three years ago, but actually seven years ago when they took over Crimea and the eastern Donbas.
There is no doubt that Trump sided with Russia in this entire thing. The result of that is he switched sides, and he has put incredible pressure on
Ukraine to simply fold and accept whatever may be a peace deal, certainly without any guarantees.
And you think back to what happened with the collapse of the Soviet empire. Ukraine had a very significant number of nuclear weapons. They gave up
those nuclear weapons in exchange for assurances that they would be secure. Those assurances amounted to nothing, as we've seen in the course of the
recent history.
ASHER: Congressman, Zain here, during that Oval Office meeting, just before the wheels came off and things took a dramatic turn for the worse, there
was a Polish, this really struck me actually, because there was a Polish reporter who asked the question of the U.S. President, and he essentially
said that he grew up at a time when Poland was, of course, occupied, controlled by Russia, and that he grew up as a child believing that America
had the best movies and the best music, but most importantly that America was a force for good. And obviously, given that I am foreign, I was really
struck by that question, because growing up in Europe, I also had the same view.
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My question to you is, given Trump's policies, is America, at this point in time, still a force for good? What are your thoughts?
GARAMENDI: We must be. We have no choice but to be a force for good. We are the biggest economy in the world. We have a reputation, and we actually
have a military throughout the entire world, and we must be a force for good. Unfortunately, here is my concern about the Trump administration.
They have abandoned the principles that have been in place since World War II that the United States would fight for democracy, for liberal
governments in which there were civil rights and human rights, and also the sanctity of borders and the rule of law. That seems to be pushed aside in
this new Trump administration. We saw some of it in the first Trump 1.0. We're seeing it now very, very strongly in Trump 2.0.
The reality here is that the United States has moved away from the historic role that we have played since World War II. That has created a vacuum of
policy, a vacuum of military as well as diplomatic strength. We're seeing a total realignment here, and that is of enormous concern. Is the future no
longer one in which we have a sanctity of borders, the rule of law, the common good, or is it every country for itself? It appears as though Trump
is going back to what was part of the American political dialog for the last 30 years, and that is America First, which is basically isolation in
which the United States pulls away from its international commitments, and that sets up every country for itself.
Fortunately, Europe recognizes the threat and the European Union and the NATO countries in Europe are rallying together and creating their own power
structure in which they will be able to defend themselves. The problem is, where is the United States? The United States seems to be not available and
not present, and that creates an enormous policy as well as a military security vacuum. It's very, very troublesome.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah, and it creates a system of uncertainty too, both here in the United States and abroad. I mean, Europe may be stepping up, indeed.
But, of course, it takes a long time to procure all the weapons that are necessary to supply Ukraine, if the United States indeed will be scaling
back, and that uncertainty speaks to what's happening on the global stage, as well as here at home. The House is set to vote tomorrow on a CR that
would keep the government open through September. Given the razor-thin margins here for Republicans and internal discord among Republicans in the
House as to whether or not they will vote in favor of this CR and keep the government open, how will you be voting? Will you be voting alongside
Republicans?
GARAMENDI: Absolutely not. I am a no vote on this. The devil is in the detail. I've learned this over the many years I've been in government.
You've got to look at the details. What the Republican Caucus has put together here in the House of Representatives is basically an open
opportunity for Trump and his minions to move money wherever they want to move it. The kind of specific appropriations that have been traditional
that we would fund this program or that program, that's not there.
There are broad funding programs, and there is an opportunity, therefore, for the Trump administration, which has clearly shown that it will do this,
to move money wherever they want to and to terminate whatever program they dislike. That is not how we should be running this government. We should,
here in Congress, be very, very clear that we appropriate money for those programs that we want to move forward and not appropriate money for those
that we don't want. But, that's not what this bill does. There are broad sectors of the appropriation and a wide open opportunity for the Trump
administration to play any game they want to terminate or to augment whatever program they think is important to them, not necessarily important
to America, to the world, or to the Democrats.
And by the way, there has been no negotiations with the Democratic caucus.
ASHER: Pivoting slightly to the U.S. economy, Donald Trump was asked whether or not there is going to be a recession this year. His response
was, I mean, he sort of sidestepped it, but his response is essentially that there is going to be a period of transition. The entire sort of
foreign policy and economic policies of Donald Trump can really be summed up in five words. What's in it for us?
[11:15:00]
Given these aggressive policies that we've seen in the headlines over the past few weeks, obviously including tariffs against Canada and Mexico,
which have been postponed to April 2nd, but still, how do you think some of these policies are going to reshape the U.S. economy, particularly in the
second quarter and as we move forward throughout the entire year?
GARAMENDI: Well, I have my own thoughts, but certainly Wall Street has their thoughts. You can see the up and down, mostly down with the stock
market, as they look at what this administration is creating, which is chaos. Chaos in the economic sector is absolutely devastating. Businesses
don't know what to do. I know many small businesses in my district that have simply laid people off because they are not certain that they will be
able to get the government contract that they were promised in the previous administration. And so, this is occurring all across the United States, big
companies, small companies.
Trump, in his State of the Union, said he is going to eliminate the program that puts the United States back into the chip manufacturing business, the
CHIPS Act. Well, that just really sends a signal throughout the economy that we may not, under this administration, under Trump, be moving forward
to rebuild America's manufacturing sector. You look at the tariffs that are underway. I did represent and still have a large interest in the
agricultural sector of California. They have no idea what to do. There is half a billion dollars of wheat and rice that is rotting on the docks
around the world as a result of the termination of the USAID program and what we now have learned is that it's not likely to ever be put back
together again. And so, the farmers across the nation are going, oh my goodness.
And already, we know China is looking at retaliatory tariffs to the agricultural sector. That cost us $24 billion of direct subsidy in the
first Trump's administration to backfill the losses that agriculture had as a result of the tariffs and the trade war that Trump initiated in his first
administration. And here we are, once again, looking at the same thing all over again. That's taxpayer money that didn't have to be spent that way.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Listening to you just list all of the concerns you have and that many Americans have about the direction that the U.S. economy is
going in and all the uncertainty here, both domestically and abroad, I can't help but notice that you seem to be addressing it as sort of an
observer, an outsider. I know that the Democrats are in the minority. But, in terms of taking advantage of this opportunity, or speaking out, or
speaking on behalf, or action, any kind of action you can take, what is the united message of your party right now? Who is the leader of your party
that should be delivering that message?
GARAMENDI: Well, there is two pieces to the message going forward. The first piece of that message is, we have to resist. We've got to fight
everywhere we can to put a stop to it. One of the things that's happening is exactly what I'm doing with you. That is to get on national,
international television and tell our side of the story. And so, the first piece of it is to point out and to resist and do what we can to stop it,
including encouraging Americans across the nation to protest, to get in front of Social Security offices or the Medicaid hospitals with their signs
and protest. That is happening, and we're encouraging that.
And in the Congress, you're quite correct. We do not have the votes. However, we may tomorrow or the next day, if the Republicans try to put
together their continuing resolution, they may fail, in which case there will be a shutdown unless they negotiate with us.
The second thing, and this is equally important, and that is that the Democrats have a very clear message to the working men and women of
America, to the truck drivers, to the nurses, to the teachers, that we're there for you. And when we look at the upcoming next year appropriation and
the reconciliation bill, we're going to be fighting hard to maintain the programs that are absolutely essential to the working men and women, and
not under any circumstances support a continuation of the extraordinarily bad public policy, economic policy, of tax cuts for the super wealthy,
where 90 percent of the benefit went to the top 10 percent. We will not support that.
We will support programs that provide for the working men and women, for example, educational programs, childcare programs. The refundable tax
credit for the first year of the life of a child. Those programs provide support for the working men and women of America.
[11:20:00]
That's where we are, and we will get that message out. We will also be very clear about the climate crisis. It is real. Trump is going to do everything
he can to destroy that. That's not where we are. These are the positive messages that we are weaving into our discussion, as I am right now with
you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. We'll have to leave it there. Congressman John Garamendi, thank you so much for your time. Appreciate it.
GARAMENDI: Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Still to come on One World, Donald Trump is asked what his tariffs will do to the U.S. economy. As Zain noted, his answer may
surprise you.
ASHER: Plus, there are less than four days to prevent a U.S. government shutdown. Can Republicans get on the same page and keep the government
running?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well, there are a few things an American President fears more than the R word, of course, that's recession, but Donald Trump admits he
doesn't know if his tariff plans will push the U.S. economy into one.
ASHER: Yeah. Economists in the Federal Reserve say the disruptive nature of President Trump's economic policies make both the recession and inflation
much harder to predict. Although the President says he cannot predict what's going to happen in the short term, he claims his tariffs will be
tariffs will be a long-term win for the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK ANCHOR: Are you expecting a recession this year?
TRUMP: I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition, because what we're doing is very big. We're bringing wealth back to
America. That's a big thing. And there are always periods of -- it takes a little time. It takes a little time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: So, let's go to the White House for the latest. That's where CNN's Alayna Treene is today. It's interesting to hear that the President
himself, who has been known to be very lofty and ambitious in his proclamations about any policy, especially as it relates to the economy, is
taking actually a more cautious road here, and suggesting that there may be a bump along the way in the months to come. And yet, you have his Commerce
Secretary, Howard Lutnick, out over the weekend saying, no way will there be a recession. You have the NEC Director this morning sounding optimism
about positive growth for this quarter. So, talk about the disconnect here.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: It is fascinating. And not only, Bianna and Zain, did the President say that to Maria Bartiromo yesterday on
Fox News, but he also then doubled down on that when asked about it by reporters on Air Force One when returning from Florida and coming to the
White House.
[11:25:00]
He said again that he could not rule out a recession, and also refused to rule out the fact that there could potentially be higher prices due to his
tariff policies.
But, what's been so fascinating to me is just, if you take -- you mentioned and I totally agree with you, Bianna, that this is a President who likes
hyperbole. He likes big proclamations. He often exaggerates that he was saying, I won't rule it out, the fact that he didn't take Howard Lutnick's
approach and saying absolutely not, there won't be a recession, is very notable.
But, the other thing as well is that he is doing something different than he did in his first term, when he was constantly watching the stock market
and changing policy based on that, I am told he has been watching, as well as many of his allies and officials, of course, watching the stock market
closely in the aftermath of these tariffs, but that he is really urging a longer-term approach. He mentioned China. He said they have a 100-year
outlook on some of these things. We need to do that. It's almost really trying to build this long runway for him and his policies.
But, I do want to get into some of what we heard from Kevin Hassett, one of the President's top economic advisors, say this morning, because he kind of
walked through a lot and at one point as well, he said a lot of the short term kind of uneasiness and concern that we're feeling in relation to this
tariff policy, he said he expects it to be resolved by April. Take a listen to how he put it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN HASSETT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: The tax policy is almost sure to work the way people are describing it in the House and the
Senate bills. The deregulation is already underway, and the drilling, baby, drilling is going as well. So, there is a heck of a lot of uncertainty
that's resolved. I think that, in the end, the trade policy uncertainty is the one thing that people will see, and that is going to be resolved in
early April, as President Trump has said.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TREENE: Sort of unclear there, Bianna and Zain, what exactly he meant by it will be solved by April. We know that as of now April 2nd is when he is
expected to put potentially more tariffs on Canada and Mexico. But, really we have seen the global markets, the United States trading partners, of
course, really voicing these concerns about the uncertainty with stop and go, kind of whiplash approach we've seen with these tariffs.
But, one thing has remained clear through all of this, and I noticed in my conversations with several people close to the President, is that he
believes in tariffs. He believes that the United States is being taken advantage of. He believes it's a good negotiating tool. And so, even though
we're kind of seeing the stop and go approach, the tariffs are expected to continue. We'll see if the impact on the economy, if that perhaps will
ultimately change his hand once again. Bianna and Zain.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. That was a bizarre thing to sort of be optimistic about, that we'll have clarity on April 2nd, because if everything goes the way
the President has outlined that on April 2nd we will officially be in a trade war with a number of countries that have promised reciprocity and
reciprocal trade tariffs as well. So, mind-boggling there.
Alayna Treene, thank you for trying to break it down for us as always.
ASHER: Thank you, Alayna.
All right. It is now or never on Capitol Hill. If Congress does not pass a spending bill by Friday, much of the U.S. government is going to be
shutting down.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And House Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to get it done without the help of Democrats, forgoing a bipartisan bill in the hopes that
he can rally his tiny Republican majority to back a six-month stopgap funding measure. But, even if he gets it through the House, Republicans
will need at least some Democratic support in the Senate to get it passed.
ASHER: For the latest, let's go to Capitol Hill where we find CNN's Lauren Fox. So, Lauren, Democrats aside, Johnson still needs essentially near
unanimity among Republicans. And just walk us through just how much resistance there is especially among the hardline sort of conservative
Republicans in the lower chamber.
LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. I mean, in some ways, things are going better for Mike Johnson than they have when he has tried
to pass other short-term stopgap measures through the House of Representatives when it comes to spending. That is due in large part to
President Donald Trump's effort and muscling of Republican conservatives in the House of Representatives. He had many of them to the White House last
week, trying to push upon them the fact that this is essential for ensuring that they can move on and pass other pieces of the President's agenda.
His argument to those members, according to many of them, is that if we want to move on to tax cuts, if we want to move on to increasing the debt
ceiling, if we want to move on to repealing some of the items from the Biden administration that we don't like, then we have to clear the deck. We
have to make sure the government is funded. So, some conservatives, who you may not have seen previously vote for these short-term spending bills, are
saying that they are willing to do that.
Now, Johnson still has a really narrow majority, and already there is one conservative, Thomas Massie, who has said that he is opposed to this
legislation. That means Johnson can't lose any additional Republicans unless he made up the votes with Democrats. And so far, Democrats are
signaling that they are opposed to this piece of legislation, arguing instead, they want a shorter-term stopgap measure so they can continue
negotiating full-year spending bills.
[11:30:00]
They want to curtail some of what the President has done because they believe that he has taken away some of Congress's power of the purse.
Now, even if this makes it out of the House of Representatives, as you alluded to, there is still a 60-vote threshold in the Senate, and they only
have 53 Republicans. That means they need at least seven Democrats, likely they'll need more, because Rand Paul traditionally votes against the
stopgap measures. That obviously could be problematic because so many Democrats are already signaling they may not vote for this.
ASHER: All right. Lauren Fox live for us there on Capitol Hill. Thank you so much.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Any minute now, America's top diplomat lands in Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at ending the Ukraine war. We'll look at what he is
up against when he gets there.
ASHER: Plus, an eruption of violence in Syria, worse than anything seen since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. We'll have details for you just ahead as
well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: All right. Welcome back to One World. I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: I'm Bianna Golodryga. Here are some of the headlines we are watching today.
ASHER: U.S. immigration authorities have arrested a prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead student protests at Columbia University over the
war in Gaza. Mahmoud Khalil's lawyer says he was arrested on Saturday by ICE agents who claimed to be working under orders from the U.S. State
Department to revoke Khalil's green card. CNN has reached out to the State Department for more comment.
GOLODRYGA: Authorities from the Dominican Republic are interviewing a man about a missing University of Pittsburgh student, according to a police
source. 20-year-old Sudiksha Konanki, an Indian national, is believed to have been with the man right before she disappeared at a beach resort. The
source says the man was seen on surveillance video taken early last Thursday night, accompanying her to the beach with several other people.
She was reportedly missing later that day,
ASHER: Most scheduled flights in and out of German airports have been canceled this Monday due to a nationwide strike by airport workers.
[11:35:00]
The one-day walkout began at midnight local time, and it's impacting 13 airports that includes Franklin -- Frankfurt, rather, and Munich. Public
sector workers, ground staff and security staff are taking part in a strike amid disputes over pay.
GOLODRYGA: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is arriving in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this hour for talks about ending the war in Ukraine. He will meet
with Ukraine's President and the Saudi Crown Prince. Now, U.S. officials will hold meetings with their Russian counterparts later this week.
President Trump says the pause on sharing intel with Ukraine is all but lifted, but the pause on military aid remains.
Nic Robertson is following the story from London and joins us now. So, obviously, Ukrainians approaching this meeting with one hand tied behind
their back. The President of the United States, as we just noted, suggesting that the pause in intelligence is likely lifted, but the threat
still remains that the U.S. will, once again, use these sticks as a measure to get Ukraine in a place where they want the country to be. Nic, talk
about what's at stake for Ukraine here, as they're approaching these negotiations.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah. Once that trust is shattered, as it has been, the United States wouldn't move against
Ukraine in such an abrupt fashion, and in the eyes of the Ukrainians and many in Europe, frankly, side with Putin, that trust is gone. So, this is
Ukraine, in a way, needing to rebuild the trust, not just sort of rebuild a relationship with U.S. interlocutors, and they're going to come, as you
say, with one arm tied behind their back. We don't know 100 percent yet if that intelligence sharing has, in fact, been started. President Trump had
indicated it was close to being restarted. But, if you don't have it, you don't have it. It's a sort of a binary thing. And there is certainly the
weapons that are being supplied or that is still on hold.
So, he -- they -- Ukrainians come to use that metaphor with one hand tied behind their back, but in the other hand, the other hand is strengthened,
and that would be from the meetings that they had with European officials last week. They'll see that the Europeans are ramping up their defense
spending. So, these are long-term support mechanisms for Ukraine, while Ukraine really need something in the short term.
So, they are going into these talks in, for want of a better expression, in a weaker position than they might have been, but not entirely weakened, and
I think that's the principal question here, what attitude do they strike when they go into those talks? Is it conciliatory? Are they going to come
in and put on the table what they've been -- what's been discussed in Europe, which is the potential for this temporary ceasefire, month-long
ceasefire in the skies and in the sea as well, and the potential in the future for deploying ground troops from European nations, or NATO nations,
as a peacekeeping-type force? All of those are unknown at the moment.
And I think the perspective coming from Europe, and I was in Brussels last week having conversations with various ambassadors, the notion of troops on
the ground, that's something that's very much still in flux. It's certainly not ruled out, but the makeup of it is not there. So, it's unclear what the
Ukrainians will be able to put on the table, but I think the reality for them is they would like more time to try to regain that military support
from the United States, where they clearly show an intent to move towards a peace, but a peace that they and the Europeans are making very clear must
be long term, protecting Ukraine's sovereignty, meaning that there wouldn't be a restart to the war, and this is a thing that Europeans want to have a
voice in as well, and I think that's a change in the equation over a week or so ago.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. And one would be forgiven for thinking the way things are playing out right now, is that Ukraine that's attacking itself because
missing from this equation are any sort of concessions or demands of Russia, everyone clearly knows as the aggressor here. We've heard what the
President of the United States has said publicly, that Ukraine is more difficult to deal with. We have yet to see him take concrete measures aimed
against Russia, other than once or twice, suggesting, perhaps even threatening that there may be more sanctions down the road. We will be
watching these meetings closely.
Nic Robertson, thank you so much.
ASHER: An official in Gaza is warning that Israel's move to cut off electricity to the enclave threatens to set off a health and environmental
disaster and will intensify the water crisis that's already happening there.
GOLODRYGA: Yeah. Israel on Sunday cut off electricity to the last facility in Gaza still receiving power. Gazans have largely relied on generators and
solar power for electricity since the October 7th Hamas attacks. The news comes even as talks over the fragile ceasefire and hostage deal between
Israel and Hamas sputter on.
ASHER: A senior Hamas leader is saying it does not oppose releasing the only living American hostage in Gaza.
[11:40:00]
This as President Trump's Special Envoy for Hostages expresses optimism about a potential Israel-Hamas truce.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADAM BOEHLER, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR HOSTAGES: With respect to the Hamas situation, I do think there is hope. I think that Israel has done a
wonderful, masterful job eliminating Hamas, Hezbollah, a number of other enemies in the state that makes things possible that weren't possible
before, and I think you could see something like a long-term truce where we forgive prisoners, where Hamas lays down their arms, where they agree
they're not part of the political party going forward. I think that's a reality. It's real close.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Syria, meantime, has seen its worst outbreak of violence since the dictator Bashar al-Assad was ousted last year. The interim government
says a military operation against forces loyal to the former regime has now ended.
ASHER: And I want you to look at this. This is actually the scene in western Syria on Sunday, as violent clashes spiraled into communal
killings. Eyewitnesses say that armed men who are loyal to the current government carried out executions. The UK-based Syrian Network for Human
Rights says more than 700 people have died in this particular wave of violence. Syria's interim President is vowing to hold those responsible for
civilian deaths accountable.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMED AL-SHARAA, SYRIAN INTERIM PRESIDENT (Interpreted): We find ourselves facing a new danger represented by the attempts of the remnants of the
former regime and the external parties behind them to create a new sedition and drag our country into a civil war, aiming to divide it and destroy its
unity and stability. We confirm that we will hold accountable, with all firmness and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of
civilians or harmed our people, or who exceeded the powers of the state or exploited power to achieve his own goals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Now, the attacks raised major questions over whether the new Syrian administration has distanced itself from its jihadist past. And
we'll have much more on Syria in our next hour.
ASHER: And we'll talk to the Syrian columnist Haid Haid about the disturbing development in his country.
All right. Still to come here, Canada's new leader has some fighting words for Donald Trump. How Mark Carney is vowing to beat Trump at his own game?
We'll talk about Canada's new Prime Minister after this short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: Well, Canada's Liberal Party has picked Mark Carney to be the party leader and Canada's next Prime Minister.
[11:45:00]
Carney, a former central banker, got the backing of 85 percent of his party, and he says, in government, he'll keep the interests of Canadians
front and center.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CARNEY, LIBERAL PARTY LEADER: I pledge to you and to all Canadians that I will follow their example. I will work day and night with one
purpose, which is to build a stronger Canada for everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: Carney is expected to be sworn in in the coming days. His most urgent task will be managing Canada's increasingly fraught relationship
with the Trump White House. On Sunday, the outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had this warning about relations with the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: As Canadians face from our neighbor an existential challenge, an economic crisis, Canadians are
showing exactly what we are made of.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: That comment said in reference to the U.S. President's tariff threats and his calls to make Canada the 51st State of the United States.
Matina Stevis-Gridneff, Canada's Bureau Chief at The New York Times, joins us live now from Ottawa. Matina, thank you so much for being with us. Let's
talk about Mark Carney. I mean, this is a very, very accomplished individual we're talking, Harvard educated, Oxford educated, former
governor of the Bank of Canada, former governor of the Bank of England, the only non-British person to have that role, by the way. He led Canada and
steered Canada through the 2008 financial crisis as well. So, clearly, when it comes to having economic chops, I mean, he is the man.
But, given what's happening with the United States right now, you really need somebody who is a talented politician. You think about how the Mexican
President Claudia Sheinbaum has handled Donald Trump. I mean, it's been a mix of sort of being strong and firm and standing her own ground while at
the same time allowing for a diplomatic off-ramp. That seems to be the language Donald Trump understands.
How will Mark Carney -- I mean, obviously, he understands how to deal with this economically in terms of retaliating tariffs. Does it have -- does he
have what it takes at this point, given that he has no experience in terms of elected office, does he have what it takes to handle this diplomatically
and politically?
MATINA STEVIS-GRIDNEFF, CANADA BUREAU CHIEF, THE NEW YORK TIMES: I think it's the really the most important question. And as central bank governor,
Mark Carney has held public office, as you mentioned, during major meltdowns, also during Brexit, when he was Bank of England governor. Those
are actually political jobs. They're just not overtly political in the elected sense that we're used to. And the reality is, even though he has
been in the public eye for so many years, really throughout his career, we don't know that much about him.
What we do know is that he has been in the room when very difficult conversations have been held in those previous roles. His challenge,
really, right now is not just that he needs to reboot the relationship with Donald Trump. We know that Donald Trump did not get along with Justin
Trudeau, and perhaps that influenced part of the predicament the relationship is in right now. But, he is also going to have to call a
federal election very soon. That means he is going to have to lean into that aggressive anti-Trump, anti-U.S. rhetoric. That's what Canada wants
right now. That's what voters are looking for. But, that may not play very well when he is in the room or he is on the phone with President Trump.
ASHER: Exactly.
GOLODRYGA: And he is promising to go toe to toe. He said that he would be prepared for a dollar for dollar retaliatory tariff, also said he is
prepared to the U.S.-Canadian exports to be tariffed as well, and Canada is the largest supplier of energy to the United States, we should note. It's
interesting the Donald Trump effect, because as accomplished as Mark Carney is, I don't know how familiar he was to every Canadian prior to the last
few months, and now here you have a Liberal Party that's neck and neck with the Conservative Party. And in terms to playing to his advantage, when do
you expect to see a general election called? It has to be called by October. But, given how close these two parties are now in polling, do you
think it will happen much sooner?
STEVIS-GRIDNEFF: It has to happen sooner, in fact. Mark Carney does not hold a seat in Parliament. He will be sworn in as Prime Minister, but he
needs to call a federal election as soon as possible. His party, the liberals, do not command a majority in the House of Commons here in
Parliament. That means that, what we understand from his team, but he said to people already, our reporting shows, that he will be calling a federal
election. So, my bets, I'm not a betting woman, is that we will have an election in the course of May, and that will mean that we are entering a
very intense campaigning period.
He is going to have to carry on with that energy he is built on top of the last two months trying to secure his party's vote, but the new audience
will not be the party faithful who rallied around him in such a dramatic way last night here in Ottawa.
[11:50:00]
It will be the entire population who are fatigued after 10 years of Trudeau, are terrified and angry with the Trump threat. And so, they'll be
looking to him for real answers, and there'll be more scrutiny on him.
ASHER: How seriously are Canadians taking Donald Trump's threat to make Canada the 51st state? I mean, based on what I'm seeing in terms of
comments from Justin Trudeau and Mark Carney, they are taking it extremely serious. I mean, Donald Trump went so far as referring to Justin Trudeau as
governor many, many times. Take us through that.
STEVIS-GRIDNEFF: Sure. And I should say they're taking it deadly seriously, and they have some reason for that. Last week, we had an exclusive report
in The New York Times. My sources, four individuals directly familiar with communications between the President and Prime Minister Trudeau, who said
that in an early February phone call between the two men, President Trump, while raising trade concerns and irritants in the relationship that we know
he is upset about, also raised the 1908 border treaty between the two countries, and called that into question. He also raised questions about
how the two countries manage their shared water resources. These are pretty existential things for Canadians.
And so, they're taking it very seriously. The government is taking it seriously. The opposition Conservative Party is taking it seriously, which
I think speaks to just the gravity of the moment. It's not a joke, and it goes well beyond the trolling online.
ASHER: All right. Matina Stevis-Gridneff, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
GOLODRYGA: Thank you. And we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GOLODRYGA: And finally this hour, the new Trump administration is giving SNL a lot of material to work with.
[11:55:00]
ASHER: The week's episode pokes fun at the reported beef between Donald Trump and his cabinet and Elon Musk. In this clip, Musk's inner monolog may
sound familiar to Mike Myers fans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But, was taking this job a bad idea. A lot of people seem to really hate me. My Tesla stock is crashing, and my personal net
worth just dropped by $100 billion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: He was itching to play that line. This, of course, was --
ASHER: Well, that pinky --
GOLODRYGA: -- of course, was a bit of Myers' Dr. Evil character from one of our favorite movies, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery".
ASHER: Takes payback.
GOLODRYGA: We need that laugh the last hour of the shows.
ASHER: Yes.
GOLODRYGA: I love it. I love it.
Well, stay with us. We'll have much more of One World after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
